Leesburg Airport air traffic controllers to move to traditional tower after FAA ends remote program

LEESBURG, Va. — The Remote Tower program at Leesburg Airport is here to stay after town officials come to an agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

According to the Town of Leesburg, the town council officially authorized Town Manager Kaj Dentler to allow the tower's operations to continue at Leesburg Executive Airport.

In February 2023, the FAA announced plans to discontinue the Remote Tower program at Leesburg Airport. A remote tower is when air traffic controllers manage airport operations off-site with the use of cameras and radios instead of a traditional tower at the airport.

Since the announcement, legislation from both federal and state leaders has supported efforts to keep the town's airport a towered operation. 

Since the Remote Tower program ended in June, Leesburg Airport's air traffic controllers have been housed in a mobile tower. Officials agree that the return to the tower was critical to the airport's success. 

"Both the FAA and Town leaders have agreed that maintaining towered operations at the airport is critical to the airport’s success," officials said in a press release. "The Town will begin the process of designing and constructing a permanent brick-and-mortar tower."

The agreement approves the use of $90,000 from the Town’s Unassigned Fund Balance to pay for the rent of the mobile tower from Oct. 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024. Funding from the FAA will pay for the lease of the mobile tower through September. The agency says it's committed to funding the salaries of those who staff the tower for the next five years.

“This agreement between the Town and the FAA establishes the shared priority of safe operations at the Leesburg Executive Airport. We look forward to continuing to work cooperatively with the FAA and our legislative leaders as we move towards the construction of a permanent tower, and the continued success of Leesburg Executive Airport,” Dentler stated.